


Love Languages

by Karios



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Accidentally a Five Things, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Polyamory, Romantic Fluff, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 11:51:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11207514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/pseuds/Karios
Summary: Their love is a collection of moments where a whole lot of nothing becomes something.





	Love Languages

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thinlizzy2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thinlizzy2/gifts).



> It was impossible to capture what makes the three of them ultimately suited to each other in any one scene, nor could I make up my mind about how established I wanted them to be, so you got five interrelated ficlets instead. I hope you like them.

I. Nothing to Celebrate

Tahani started it with a party. Parties were her forte and it only made sense that she that she share the most important activity of her life with the most important people of her...afterlife, was that the correct term?

Anyway it had made sense, right up she saw Eleanor’s ghastly reaction to the tablescape. Eleanor looked like a little bird ready to flit off the second you stepped too close. Tahani steered her toward the table anyway. “It’s a for-no-reason-at-all party,” Tahani explained, glancing over at Chidi with a combination stern-look-sideways-head-nod that hopefully said ‘help me’.

Chidi nodded, slipping around to Eleanor’s other side. “Now, of course, none of us can be entirely sure what day it is, given the lack of calendars, the possibility of a different length day here, how much time passed between when we died and our arrivals...”

“Chidi,” squeaked Tahani, as she plunked Eleanor in one of the three waiting chairs.

“Right, right.” Chidi scooted his chair in and took one of Eleanor’s hands in his. “As far as we know, it is no one's birthday, or anniversary, or any other major holiday.”

Eleanor glanced from Chidi to Tahani and back again. “And this isn't going to be a thing, like Margaret and Deirdre’s afternoon tea, or meatless mondays, is it?”

“No,” agreed Chidi, striving for more succinct, yet earned himself another small frown from the party's hostess.

“You won't owe me anything,” promised Tahani, trailing her manicured fingers over Eleanor’s shoulders. She passed each of them a menu.

Chidi’s face scrunched as he peered at the page in front of him. “There’s only item in each section?”

“Exactly,” said Tahani. “No surprises, no choices.”

“And they’re my favorites.”

“I asked Eleanor,” she added with a shrug.

“I'm staying for the shrimp,” Eleanor announced. It wasn't much but everything began somewhere.

* * *

 

II. Studies in Nothing

Eleanor, in an effort that was part mimicking good people behavior and part not wanting to be outdone by Tahani, threw a symposium. Fancier, and therefore better than dinner, she reasoned. Eleanor enlisted Tahani’s help anyway because she understood Tahani had experience organizing things and because the sensuous coconut palm of a human being had a better chance at getting the neighborhood to come.

“Tahani said you missed them,” Eleanor explained to Chidi as she walked him to the repaired stage in the center of town. “And after she told me what one was,” she paused and waited for the head tilt before continuing, “I thought ‘I can do that’ so I did.”

Chidi was vexed, a mild sort of usual vexation, but notable nonetheless. “Eleanor, how could you not know what a symposium is? We literally read The Symposium in class,” he sputtered.

“Plato was in the beginning. Cut me a break, dude.” Eleanor faux punched him in the arm.

Chidi winced. “Ow.”

He was still half heartedly rubbing his arm when they reached Tahani at her post backstage.

“I have done an admirable job of holding down the fort, but the crowds are getting a bit restless. Therefore, we should probably start.” Tahani paused her self-congratulating long enough to look both Eleanor and Chidi over. “Are you two alright?”

“We’re fine.” They replied in accidental unison.

Tahani beamed. “You two are absolutely adorable when you talk all together like that. Toddle on then, so we can get this show on the road!”

Eleanor hopped onstage with only slightly more grace than she used to navigate the platform up to the clown bed. She snatched the stack of index cards from Tahani’s outstretched palm and made her way to the microphone. “First up is Herbert to give a presentation on,” Eleanor peered at the card as though the rest of it were written in a foreign language, or she was waiting for the letters to form some other words, “ostrich babysitting, apparently. So uh, yeah, give it up.” She started a slow clap which half-heartedly caught on with the crowd.

Eleanor served as emcee, and dutifully introduced one dubious speaker after another. During presentations, she, Chidi, and Tahani cuddle in three chairs on the left end of the second row. It's a compromise that suits the three of them. No having to ask to be excused, close enough to the front for Chidi to see without straining, and it was apparently Tahani’s best side. Whatever that meant.

Another dozen less-than-enthralling speeches later--on everything from making sweaters for shelter cats out of their own shedded fur to the art of chewing gum sculptures which funded at-risk youth art programs--had Eleanor suggesting a trip for some stomach-settling frozen desserts.

“So,” Tahani said, once they all settled in with double scoops, “I'm sure Eleanor’s dying to know, what did you think?”

Eleanor might have been a little curious, maybe. But she didn't know whether to be freaked or relieved Tahani knew or asked for her.

“Well, that was the strangest symposium I’ve ever been to...”

“Oh good, I was worried something might be normal in this shirthole.” Eleanor grumbled, thumping her head against the small round tabletop. “You didn't like it.”

“I didn't say that. It was incredibly thoughtful, and surprisingly...informative.”

“I agree with Chidi, it's not our fault none of our neighbors are as talented my friend Wayne, or as funny as my friend Tina. Some of the acts were bound to be a bit odd.”

Eleanor brightened a little. “You’re right. I mean look where we started off. He probably earned the majority of his Good Place points for having to put up with the name Herbert.”

Tahani pretended to be interested in her yogurt. “Oh no. He stopped a runaway lion from eating his charges and dragged a little girl to safety, even after he’d been attacked.”

“He literally gave his life for ostriches,” Chidi concurred.

Okay, okay, what about Jessica with the plastic doll furniture collection?”

Tahani bit her lower lip. “She helped lifetime inmates build dollhouses for orphan children.” Chidi patted her hand.

“The guy who spent forty-three minutes telling us the non-existent secrets of highway tollbooth operating?” tried Eleanor one more time. "After all, how could a toll guy have possibly changed the world?"

“Oh, I asked Michael about him. He never said a cross word to anyone, nor once complained about his job, despite thousands of rude, irritated drivers with incorrect change.”

Eleanor slumped in her chair. “Okay, he belongs in The Good Place.”

Tahani noticed the sour shift in mood and piped in with, “The underwater basket weaver seemed sort of smug didn't he?”

“It’s a completely unnecessary risk,” Chidi agreed. “I don't remember seeing him before today.”

“Odd. Very odd indeed,” mumbled Tahani.

* * *

 

III. Shopping For Nothing

They go shopping “because Eleanor deserves better than someone else’s wardrobe in someone else’s house.” That was what Tahani said anyway. Eleanor was willing to go with the flow. Dressing room make-outs sounded like fun and there was the possibility of trying new looks on Chidi.

Chidi himself wasn't on board. “This seems highly unnecessary. Are we even allowed to create buildings?”

“Dude!” huffed Eleanor. “This is paradise. There can’t be any rules, if it’s paradise.”

Tahani cut in. “Eleanor I am not sure that I, nor any of our neighbours would call anarchy idyllic.”

Chidi took a more direct approach. “Fork.”

“Okay, maybe there are _some_ rules. But still, if it were against...the social contract of The Good Place then Janet would have said so, right?”

Chidi considered this as they stepped through the sliding glass doors.

“I missed this smell,” Tahani chirped, inhaling deeply. “Can we check for a candle shop? Candles are so cozy and intimate.”

Eleanor shrugged. “Fine by me. I wonder if this mall has churro dogs.”

Tahani wrinkled her nose. “Disgusting. How could you eat such filth?”

“We aren't all born with caviar pouring out of our water faucets,” retorted Eleanor as she stomped past the first few stores.

“Don't be ridiculous. Our caviar was imported and I would _never_ drink anything out of the tap.” Tahani was horrified by the mere suggestion.

Chidi had managed to miss the entire tiff, his mind still fixed on the earlier quandary. “But, what I mean is, couldn’t we just ask Janet to bring whatever we wanted?”

Eleanor swiveled to face Chidi. “Are you still on that? Give it up, dude.”

“Oh, Chidi, the fun of shopping is not knowing what you want until you find it. The way I did with you and Eleanor.”

“I guess,” Chidi muttered.

They made it through a large department store, and two smaller boutiques, but Chidi looked no more comfortable than before.

“It’s still bothering you, bud?”

Chidi nodded. “I'm sorry, I just..." Chidi drew in a breath and called, "Janet!”

Janet appeared, cheerful as ever.

“Janet, would you rather have built a mall or brought us new clothing?” inquired Chidi

“It makes literally no difference to me at all!” Janet replied brightly. “Both requests were equally effortless and I am not programmed to prefer any particular task. Was there anything else you needed?”

“We’re good,” assured Eleanor.

“Bye then.” Janet waved and popped out.

“Chidi, consider that Eleanor is occasionally selfish, demanding, impulsive.”

Eleanor stepped in front of Tahani. “You can stop anytime, and why am I the example anyway?”

“My point,” Tahani continued, picking Eleanor up and moving her aside,”is that we have a number of locations for business and leisure, and replacing them solely with Janet’s labour would mean much more work for her and far less for residents to do.”

“Yeah Chidi, what about those people who derive their happiness from work? Now, there are mall jobs.”

“I suppose there is some utilitarian good here,” mused Chidi.

“Then onward, to clothes, candles, and churro dogs in the name of Jimmy Bentham!” declared Eleanor.

"Jer-" he started, then thought better of it. "You know what, close enough."

* * *

 

IV. Thinking of Nothing

While Eleanor appreciated the wardrobe update, the chance to ditch the creepy clown cottage, and Chidi’s ongoing dishwashing, what went on among them was not real until it was physical.

When accidental touches gave way to purposeful caresses, when gentle pecks on the forehead gave way to lengthy passionate make out sessions that leave their lips puffed and swollen.

She has had good sex before. Obviously. The kind that left her spent and blanked out her mind and blocked out the world and its various disappointments. This was nothing like that. There was thinking and negotiating and contorting, and she never had to work this hard before.

It's better. It was so much better than she imagined.

They were hers when she marked them, tiny dark bruises mottling Tahani’s perfect caramel skin, and learning what shade of lip gloss stands out best against Chidi’s darker tone. But it was more than that.

It was the way Chidi’s face smoothed out, as though he can finally relax in the afterglow naps. It was the way Tahani gasped as she peaked, sounding like the kind of angel you read about as a kid, if there were those kind of angels.

But mostly it was the way that when they finally gave in to desire and started something--collapsing naked under Tahani’s silk satin sheets that are what paradise should feel like--they both curl around her, as if they knew all along she was the one who most needed to feel at home.

And she never needed to ask.

* * *

 

V. Saying Nothing

One night Eleanor found Chidi awake at the kitchen table, scribbling furiously and scowling into a mug of tea.

“Book edits?” she asked, pulling a chair around to sit close.

“Just trying to think of something to do for Tahani. Now that's three of us, I want her to feel included.”

Eleanor nodded, her tongue poking out as she thought. After a minute, she got back up, went to the fridge and retrieved a nearly gone jar of mayonnaise. She rinsed it out at the sink, and plunked it down in front of a confused Chidi.

“I should buy Tahani more mayonnaise?” asked Chidi, his words halted. “Does she even eat mayonnaise?”

“No goofball. Tahani is all wordsy, right? Well we fill this up with little bits of paper that say mushy junk Tahani would like. And decorate the outside.”

“Ohhh.”

“I'll get the gel pens,” offered Eleanor.

They work in mostly companionable silence punctuated only by small bits of conversation.

“Where’d you get this idea?”

“We used to do it for Valentine's Day in school. You know, before I realized it was doofy.”

Chidi answered with a hum.

“It was nice,” she added after a pause so long he’d nearly forgotten what she’d been referring to.

Then she glanced over at the slip he’s writing:  
_How does Love speak?_  
_In the proud spirit suddenly grown meek--_  
_The haughty heart grown humble; in the tender_  
_And unnamed light that floods the world with splendor._

“What's that from?” asked Eleanor, pausing in her writing mid-thought.

“It’s part of a poem, Love’s Language by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.”

“Yours are better than mine.” There was a slight whine in her tone, but mostly Chidi heard resignation.

“No they're not,” he insisted, brushing back a lock of hair from her forehead.

They worked in silence, alternating between filling and decorating the jar.

A note fell into her lap, and Chidi tried a little too hard to feign innocence.

It read, _you're the easiest choice I've ever made._

 _Ditto_ added Eleanor and she tossed it in the jar.


End file.
